What Sets Us Apart
March 27th, 2009 by megan
I having been looking around at other child sponsorship organizations, and realized that there are a few things that set Hearts’ Cry apart from the rest. Believe me, these other, larger, aid organizations (the ones you see on late night infomercials) do amazing work for children in need, but there are a few perks to supporting a smaller organization like ours.
Wilfred enrolling a new child for sponsorship
1. We are an entirely volunteer organization (including me). All of the work done on this side of the ocean is done entirely by volunteers. We do this work because we love it, and we save our sponsors some hard-earned money in the process.
2. Transparency: The current administration and I agree on this point. Transparency is key to any organization or economy. And, Hearts Cry is the most transparent international sponsorship organization that I’ve seen. For example, if you would like to know EXACTLY where your child’s sponsorship money goes, penny for penny, we can tell you! Other organizations offer vague categories of how the money will be used, but we list specifically how each rupee is used to benefit your child.
3. Size matters! And, it’s our small size and our commitment to focus on and serve one community (Mattampally) that ensures maximum impact in the lives of the children and families we work with.
4. Community Stability. Mattampally is a poor, disconnected and undeveloped village, but it’s not as bad as it gets. Many countries and villages in Africa have it far worse, and many of the situations there make it harder to reach the population and to have an impact. AIDS, war and famine keep people on the move in many of the poorest nations of the world. Which means its hard to meet even the most basic needs for the individual. Other organizations focus on the absolute, most needy communities.
AIDS, war and famine need to be addressed, of course, but I imagine it’s hard to even keep the children and families in the program. We have the luxury (if you can call it that) of being able to work with a relatively stable community. And, this means that our sponsorship dollars and donations can be used most effectively to change individual lives. Some of our first sponsored children, though from very poor, struggling families, will graduate from nursing college next year. Our sponsors know that their donations will have a lasting effect.
Evening Tutoring at the Community Center
5. Relationship building. Each of our sponsored children, the sewing trainees, and the women’s coop members visit and use the Community Center on a regular basis. The centralized Community Center gives JJCT and Hearts’ Cry the ability to facilitate a connection between our donors and program participants. The children write regular letters to their sponsors and each loan or gift recipient poses for a picture to be shared with the donor. Sponsorship is most rewarding when you can see your donations at work, and I think that Wilfred and Father George in Mattampally do an excellent job of allowing sponsors to see that work.
Mother of a sponsored child with a picture of her sponsors (and Hearts' Cry founders) Ellen and Mark Wheeler
In a world of poverty and pain, there’s no room for competition with other organizations who are doing equally admirable work. But, if you do sponsor a Hearts’ Cry child or donate to our organization, you can be assured that your donations are being used to their fullest affect to improve the lives of the people of Mattampally in a lasting way. Your donations make a huge difference in this community, and we hope you’re proud!
Tags: aid organizations, Poverty
[...] What Sets Us Apart « HEARTS’ CRY INC + The Blog [...]